Restorative Retreat for Ukrainian Women

Susanna Ketsmur has initiated and will run this retreat together with her friends from Ukraine who can rely on the strong support of the Mahakala Retreat Center in Montenegro.

This retreat program has been designed for Ukrainian women who have been staying in Ukraine since the beginning of the full scale invasion while saving and supporting innumerable lives of Ukrainians under constant pressure and danger.

The incredible resilience of Ukrainians against Russia's aggression during this war is on par with the courage and creativity of the Ukrainian army. It is the result of the strong cooperation of army, civic society, businesses and government organizations providing hope and unity to withstand this unequal battle, together with our international partners.

There are thousands of volunteers, medical staff, psychologists, social workers and other active people who keep working under pressure in dangerous conditions. Burnt-out activists cannot remain efficient helpers. However, a replenishment of their exhausted energy containers could be achieved by providing access to safe spaces of solitude.

Everybody has coping strategies and the capacity for restoring and self-healing. Often, feeling the presence of a compassionate heart in silence is already enough or being in a space where one can reconnect with one’s inner strength.

The two-week long retreat will take place in March in Mahakala, a cozy and quiet retreat center in Montenegro. Next to access to silence and beautiful nature, participants will have opportunities to join other therapeutic activities - yoga, dancing, art activities, nature walks, gardening, swimming, empathy and mourning circles, etc..

We would like to invite 14 Ukrainian women and 3 - 5 volunteers to help us create a space of compassionate presence and self-healing for women who have been sacrificing themselves to their emotional and physical limits.

Volunteers will be cooking and providing therapeutic activities and project management. They will be qualified and experienced in these roles. None of these contributions will be paid.

Your support will help:

providing accommodation and food

(Mahakala center has kindly offered half price for accommodation),

paying insurance for participants,

purchasing materials for therapeutic activities.

Transport costs for the round trip to Montenegro for 16 people (participants and volunteers) have already been fundraised.

We are inviting you to express gratitude for these courageous and strong women together with us, allowing all of us to keep hope for humanness and freedom. Thank you for your kind generosity!

*The organizer's team - Susanna Ketsmur, Natalia Trofimova and Larisa Melnychuk - have been involved in civic society development in Ukraine as community builders, project managers, psychologists and educators in the nonprofit sector for more than ten years.